Starfall

OTHERSPACE

A small group of Rebels race across
space to meet up with the Alliance
transport Celestial. They have been
ordered to take command of the vessel
and its secret cargo, then see it safely to a
hidden Rebel outpost in an as yet
unnamed sector.

But the Empire has a special interest in
the secret cargo, and even now Imperial
agents comb the galaxy in search of
Celestial. What awaits the Rebels at the
end of the jump may be more than they
bargained for, and more than the galaxy
is ready to handle ...

Player-characters

Jan Vincent Torm
Terri Lexgar
Jo'din Northstar
Dr. Ugavine Junior

NB. some details of the adventure have been changed to apply more towards the group.

Episode One - The TIE Armada

Dropping out of Hyperspace the Sixty-Nine finds itself instantly under attack from Imperial TIE Fighters.

Imperial Commander: "Rebel starship, shut down your engines and surrender or you will be destroyed."

Terri "How the hell..."

Torm "They must have a tracked on our contact."

Junior "I'm going to calculate a course out of here..."

Torm manages to evade a dozen TIE fighters as their laser blast dangerously close.

Terri "Even your luck can't hold out forever, Torm. And That Star Destroyer is getting closer."

Torm "JUNIOR!"

Junior (Roll 25 for Astrogation) "We have Lightspeed."

Torm makes a break for a gap in the TIE fighter formation and engages the hyperdrive, the ship lurches and the engines whine as the ship makes the jump to lightspeed. But the engine makes popping and wheezing noises and instead of a blur of stars is an endless grey void. Junior shuts down the engines before they overload, but it seems the damage is done.

Junior "I don't know where we are but the hyperdrive is fried."

Terri "You broke my ship!"

Junior "Negative. The astro navigation co-ordinates were correct and there were no gravity masses. It's almost as if hyperspace... wasn't there."

Episode Two - Nosferatu Found

Jo'din joins the crew in the cockpit. "There is something wrong here. I cannot feel The Force. Well, it's no strong anyway."

Torm "Well the good news is I have a lock on our contact, directly ahead."

Torm moves the Sixty-Nine closer.

Junior "That's the Nosferatu, my fathers ship."

Terri "No, please god no, not Ugavine."

Junior "That's Doctor Ugavine."

Terri "I know, and he's annoying. Only Bossko B. is more annoying than your father."

Junior "There is some sort of nebula in the distance. It's causing instrument malfunction. Scanners are offline."

The crew decide to pull alongside an dock with the Nosferatu, and Junior does a quick check of the engines.

The Nosferatu is seemingly dead in space. Torm, Terri and Junior board the stricken Rebel ship.

Inside it is on minimal life support. A strangle sticky webbing is found all over, hindering progress down the ships corridors.

As the rebels enter the Bridge a ghostly holographic images appear upon the bridge as the ship's final log entry plays back. A thin man in a severe Imperial uniform is visible through an arched doorway near the com station crew members and a heavily armed Droid stand next to him.

"Imperial emergency code three-delta-delta," he says. "This is Grand Moff Ravik. I have taken command of the Rebel vessel Nosferatu and await pickup by the ISD Relentless. I am broadcasting our coordinates now. Request immediate response as the situation is still fluid." Ravik's sentence is punctuated by an explosion at the bridge door, blaster fire pouring through the breach. A huge muscled man, wearing the rank of a Rebel captain, leads the attack. The Droid and nearby crew members fire at the attacking party as Ravik moves out of view.

A voice crackles from an unseen com: "Celestial, this is Relentless. We have your signal and are on our way." The Rebel captain glances out the bridge viewport and his face tightens. He then runs to the helm and hits a button. Immediately the hyperdrive is activated and the ghostly images fade into streaks of light.

Junior "So they went into hyperspace like we did."

Torm was only half listening as he turned to Terri. "That was him, wasn't it?"

Terri "Yep, that's him. My husband. Lexon Lexgar."

Junior checks the engines, but nothing is usable, and this ship won't be going back into hyperspace any time soon. It appears to have already been scavenged, but the parts have been brutally torn out, not removed with any skill.

The Rebels search the rest of the ship and discover that the Rebel transport had been carrying prisoners including a Pirate Captain Celis Mott, an Assassin Droid, Captain Bane Nothos, Grand Moff Ravikk and the Bounty Hunter Zardra. But there was more, this ship had been board by some alien, the thing that had left the webbing in the corridors. They had breached the cargo bay. Oddly there was little resistance except from a couple for droids.

Torm's comlink crackles;

Jo'din "You guys had better get back here. We're no alone."

Episode Three - Desolate Awaits

Ahead is an expanse of colour and drifting mist that makes up the swirling nebula. One the edge of the nebula is a graveyard of drifting starships. Drifting ships that have become nothing more than space debris, to settle upon the huge, dark ship that emerges from the nebula cloud. Alien in design, the ship appears as just another dead wreck in the galactic sea of otherspace. Then, without warning, eerie lights begin to flick on. The dead ship begins to stir ...

The scene reminds you of a busy spaceport with one important difference — the silence. These vessels are deathly quiet. No subspace chatter fills the void, no engines flare to adjust courses, no running lights glow warmly on these empty hulks. There floats a startug. There a freighter spins wildly. And there, beyond the blast boats and cruisers and transports, awaits the largest of these desolate vessels. As the Warriors of Gar watch, strange domes on each end of the unusually designed craft begin to glow with an otherworldly light.

Junior "No, that doesn't loo intimidating at all."

Torm "Sarcasm noted. I'm going in."

Torm tries to manoeuvre around the wrecked ships but catches one, causing Terri to wince at the damage to her ship. Torm keeps calm and successfully navigates the dead ships. Seeing an opening in the giant alien vessel he flies in. Inside the Torm finds what he deems a safe spot and lands the ship. Donning breath masks and taking necessary equipment the Warriors of Gar disembark the Sixty-Nine.

The Warriors move through the webbed passageway. It shows signs of combat. Then, movement, the Warriors find a member of the Nosferatu crew still alive, Captain Gryphon. "This mission hasn't gone so well, has it friends. The crew? Did you save the crew? They came out of nowhere. A red mist filled the ship and... we tried to fight them..."

Continuing the Warriors pass through a strange room full of odd alien pods.

The Warriors exit the passageway onto an open cave. Huge opening in the floor reveal a long drop into a cloud of red mist.

Suddenly a blaster shot, a warning, hits the ground near Torm.

Celis Mott "Surrender now me' harty's, or I be forced to kill you."

Mott looks crazed. There are three Rebel Solider with him who seem just as crazed in their eyes.

The blaster fight is swift. The crazed Rebels are Incapacitated but Mott is killed.

Junior and Jo'din examine the men. They are suffering sever never damage. A powerful Neurotoxin has driven them mad. There is no saving them.

Beyond is another strange chamber. Jo'din picks up a glow rod, then chronometer. The are appears to be some sort of storage with items looted from the derelict ships. Terri finds some starship parts and Junior finds some useful parts for repairing their ship.

The Warriors find a chamber protected by a thick membrane, but Jo'din'd lightsaber easily cuts an opening. Wisps of red mist hang low in this chamber, obscuring the floor and making it difficult to judge distance and size. Clouds of the crimson fog float freely, hiding and revealing other areas as they drift by. In the distance the Warriors occasionally catch a glimpse of a tube-like column rising into the ceiling, but the drifting fog encloses it before they can determine more details.

Despite wearing breathe masks the Red Mist starts to cause hallucinations in all but Terri. Junior feels alone an lost, terrified! Torm just suffers some confusion, but Jo'din lashes out, she sees a monster, alas that is actually Terri Lexgar. Jo'din hits Terri with her Lightsaber. Terri, clicks her blaster to Stun and shoots Jo'din. Jo'din still under the effects swings wildly, Terri is able to disarm her and drag all three of the Warriors towards the crawl tube and out of the Red Mist. Out of the Red Mist they come out of their hallucination but are still staggered by it's effects.

Red Mist effects; Torm (Mechanical), Junior (Dexterity, Mechanical and Knowledge), Jo'din (Knowledge and Dexterity)

Episode Four - Heart of Darkness

The warriors scramble up the crawl corridor to the the next level.

The crawlspace opens onto a vast cavernous room full of giant pods. A pod splits open, each side falling away with a wet, sticky sound. Within the moist interior you see an alien construct of some sort. It looks more grown than built, as though its genetic material was manipulated to form unnatural shapes for some unknown purpose.

Junior "It appears they even grow their starships. Technology not unlike the Ergesh."

Terri "How do you know these are starships?"

Junior "I'm a starship design engineer. I know a starship when I see one."

The next chamber has a multitude of pulsing fibrous coils connecting to a strange biomass. What appear to be insect-like eyes display images like a computer screen.

Junior "Central computer... how to use it however..."

The next room has Charon battle armour hanging from the ceiling, but Terri and Torm are all to vigilant as one of the suits moves as the Charon attack!

It takes a coupe of combat rounds but the with a lucky shot off Torm and Jo'din's lightsaber the Charon id defeated.

* Junior tries to remove the Claws from the armour but fumbles the attempt.

Another membrane gives way to a large chamber that appears to be a storage tank of some sort. Completely sealed except for the membranous openings on each end of the tank, a thick green paste covers the bottom of this chamber. Translucent tubes run everywhere, distributing the paste to other parts of the ship as well as dumping more into the room. Large yellow floating globs drift lazily around the chamber.

Torm "I don't like this." And he shoot a distant floating sac which explodes releasing acid. "Oh that is not good. Okay, Terri, you go across first carrying Junior, then you can cover us."

Terri gets stuck in the more and must drop Junior. The pods are moving closer with long tendrils unravelling from the bottom of the globs, ending in spiky balls that sway menacingly.

Terri moves and manages to parry the attacking tendrils. Torm blasts any pod that nears her, stunning it to prevent the acid splash. Jo'din and Junior go next, with Jo'din using the Force Power Enhance another Attribute to increase Juniors Dexterity to allow his to move through the thick paste. Terri and Torm provide covering fire. Eventually all the Warriors cross the room safely, albeit covered in goo.

The next chamber has many pods scattered around the centre power core of the Desolate. Junior suggests they are fuel pods. The pods explode randomly, and catch Junior in one of their blasts Stunning him (Junior Rolled 19 for Technology after a fumble, so Identified the pods but got caught in the blast as part of the fumble).

Jo'din revives Junior, and the fuel room can be avoided.

At the end of the corridor are five large platform displaying various holograms. They show a planet falling into a black hole, a cult of Charon Warriors and another a hulking Charon zealot leading his warriors into battle.

Jo'din "It's their history. I can't say I like it."

With only one route available the Warriors break through another membrane with a high ceiling, the room is almost full of webbing.

Webbing presses down oppressively from above. Scuttling sounds can be heard overhead, but before the Warriors can act an authoritative voice calls out. "Members of the Galactic Empire. Throw down your weapons in the name of Bane Nothos!"

Terri and Torm glance at each other... then burst out laughing.

Terri "Didn't Bossko B. blow your ship up?"

Bane Nothos "REBEL SCUM!"

Four Charon Warriors drop from the webbing high above the Warriors, lashing out with their venomous claws. Bane Nothos prepars to throw a Thermal Detonator, but Torm sees him. Torm blasts Nothos, the Detonator rolling from his hands, explodes! The floor beneath the Imperial collapses in and what is left of Bane Nothos is lost in rubble webbing and smoke.

Terri wounds a Charon, but they are relentless. Torm is Wounded, Jo'din Incapacitated and Junior is Mortally Wounded. He is dying!
Terri is sees the four Charon looming over herself and Torm, drops her rifle and falls into a Martial Arts stance. "Get down!" she says with more authority than ever. Torm takes cover and Terri (spending a FORCE POINT) makes a flurry of blows and kicks, punches and roundhouse. The Charon lie unconscious, as Jo'din sits up (Remain Conscious force power).

Terri "JUNIOR!"

Jo'din attempts to use a Medpac on the Mortally Wounded Ugnaught but fails. She Then closes her eyes, puts her hands on Junior and lets The Force flow from her into him (Transfer Force force power).

Jo'din "He's stable. But he needs a proper medic. I cannot risk healing him further. I'll carry him."

As much as all that Jedi nonesense bugged Terri, right here, right now, Terri was glad for Jo'din. Junior could be annoying, but he was one of the few people in the galaxy she actually trusted. Her gaze met Jo'din's. No words were spoken, but Jo'din knew.

Episode Five - The Great Contest

The Warriors crawl up to the next level on a foul smelling room full of pods.

Terri "Looks like storage. A see ships parts and... Oh gods, there are people in these!"

The Warriors search for survivors. The people are of unknown races and are beyond saving.

Then suddenly another two Charon Warriors drop from the webbing, Torm and Terri raise their blasters, but suddenly there is a cracking sound, and suddenly one of the pods burst open spewing an embryonic goo over the floor. Striding forward is a monster of a man with bulging biceps. "For Gar!" he booms and dives forward hitting both Charon with a double clothesline knocking them to the floor. His drops an elbow into the first Charon, then regains his feet at the same time as the wounded Charon. The muscled human twirls his finger in the air then points at the Charon, "YOU!" he growls. As Torm, Jo'din and Terri, who is biting her lip smiling, watch on the Charon genuinely look terrified. The Human rushes the Chraon hitting him hard, his fist shattering the Charons skull!

He flicks a little more of the goo from himself then looks at the Warriors, as Terri throws her self at him kissing him madly.

Torm "And that, Jo'din, is Lexon Lexgar."

Lexon "Does some one want to tell me where the hell I am and why the hell I'm covered in slime?"

With that another pods cracks open. Stepping out is an Ugnaught, another of the Nosferartau Clan. He wears a long oversized yellow jacket. He too flicks away the goo that covers him and looks around.

"Absolutely fascinating. Primitive. But fascinating none the less."

Jo'din "And that is Juniors father? Doctor Ugavine?"

Dr. Ugavine "Was that a statement or a question? Because if a statement, I do know my who I am... oh yes, a twi'lek, quite a primitive species."

Jo'din "Doctor Ugavine, we have your son here, but he is badly wounded."

Ugavine tends to him, but even with his Advanced Medicine can only make him stable for now. (very bad rolls)

Lexon "I'm waiting for an explanation."

Dr. Ugavine "These creatures are called Charon. They have a two tier Cast system, Warriors and Bioscientists. They are the evolved descendants of a group of Aing Tii that got trapped in this realm known as Otherspace. Their settled world was destroyed when the sun went Super Nova. From then they worshipped the resulting Black Hole as a deity of death and have all but wiped all life from Otherspace. This craft is the Desolate and commanded by Ber'asco, a sort of High Priest who sees himself as the avatar of death. He has leant of our Realspace, and he has been attempting the build a Hyperdrive to break through."

Terri "How in the stars would you know all that?"

Dr. Ugavine "The Charon used their Red Mist to render us unconscious. We were then placed into these pods as storage to be used as food. However, this entire ship is organic. The whole ship is alive and connected. I have cybernetic neural implants to connect my mind to a computer. The fluid in the pods connected my mind to the ship where I could access what passes as a computer. I was able to manipulate the controls to keep myself, Lexon and others crew members alive. I was going to free us earlier but then you arrived and it seemed prudent to let you reach us first."

Terri "You did all that with your mind whilst unconscious?!"

Dr. Ugavine "Well..."

Terri "If you call me primitive you WILL be permanently re-inserted into that pod!"

Dr. Ugavine "Riiiiight..."

Torm "Well, we get the parts we need from these pods and get out."

Dr. Ugavine "No.. Ber'asco is too dangerous. He may not understand Hyperdrive technology, being a primitive, but he is too close to getting lucky. Now sure, an Imperial cruiser could blast this asteroid to dust. But if this ship reaches just one planet, billions could die. We have to stop him. And of course by 'we' I mean you and Lexon."

With that the Warriors help a dozen member of the crew and proceed, with Deak Frisko the Duro pilot leading the crewmen with Junior back to the ship, taking the required hyperdrive parts with them.

Dr. Ugavine was also able to remove a from the Charon a Web-Spinner, Clawed Gauntlet and Plasma Blaster.

The New Engine

The next chamber indeed has ones appears to be a working Hyperdrive. Terri could feel Ugavine's 'I told you so' eyes on her, she ignored him.

Hall of Contests

A vast cavern stretches out before the Warriors with platforms hanging by webbing, but creatures lurk in the darkness. Constructs created by the mad Charon Bioscientists; The Weaver, Shootcrawlers, Jumpers and the mighty Gatebeast.

The contest is a tough one, even for the Warriors of Gar. The first rounds of combat go well, until the Gatebeast attacks pushing Lexon Lexgar off a ledge, fortunately the Desolate if full of webbing, but it takes him several rounds to climb back up. Jo'din tries to jump towards the Gatebeast and fails, leaving her clinging to a ledge, before the Gatebeast shunts her off too, Jo'din falling further than Lexon. It gets worse, Terri Lexgar is hit by the Gatebeats attack, but this time the attacks rents a tear in space/time, and Terri is GONE!

Doctor Ugavine is also Incapacitated after his attention was drawn to a Jumper, but he got shot by a Shootcrawler.

Lexon climbs back up, but he and Torm are out numbered and out-gunned. Torm then (spends a Force Point) blasts everything in the cave, defeating the Gatebeast and remaining Jumpers.

Jo'din climbs back up and heals Dr. Ugavine.

Lexon "Where's Terri?!!"

Torm can only look at his friend with despair.

Jo'din "I can't sense her at all."

Dr. Ugavine "Gated."

Lexon "What?"

Dr. Ugavine "There was mention of this beast in the Charon archives. It's capable of causing fissure in space/time. It used that ability to push you and Jo'din off the ledge. With Terri it pushed her through a wormhole to... well I don't know. She could be anywhere in space time in Otherspace, Realspace or any other realm that may exist."

Jo'din "Will we see her again?"

Dr. Ugavine "I do not have enough information to extrapolate an answer to that question." *

Lexon "Then it's about time I kill Ber'asco!"

GM Note: I did make the Gatebeast much more powerful than in the published adventure, if his damage Tripled the target Knowledge or Control defence he could 'gate' them anywhere. The Gatebeast did triple Lexon's KNOW but I chose to just throw him off the ledge and out of the battle. The Gatebeast rolled over 30 verses Terri Lexgar, who rolled 2. Over 15 times her roll, hence I Gated her out of Otherspace.

Exiting the Hall of contests they literally run into the Bounty Hunter Zarda, she had been one of the Rebel prisoners. She is being chased by two Charon Warriors. Zardra, having had a run-in with Torm and Jo'din on Tatooine gives a nod to indicate she is not their enemy.

Meanwhile Lexon Lexgar has some anger management to sort out with the Charon Warriors!

Both Warriors were wearing armour but it does not save them from Lexon's pummelling blows.

Doctor Ugavine is able to remove the Charon armour and fashion it so it can be worn by Lexon. (Dr. Ugavine made a diff. 20 Armour Repair check).

The Warriors must then pass through the Chamber of Sleep. Hundreds of Charon in pods suspended by webbing are starting to rouse from their slumber. The Warriors run quickly to the crawl tube. A couple of blaster shots collapses the tube behind them.

Episode Six - Into the Nest

The crawl tube opens into a chamber with a giant biomass. Dr. Ugavine explains that this is the ships brain that acts as a sort of central computer.

The following chamber is empty other than an ominous looking Monoloth at the rooms center. This the Alter of Death. Jo'din immediately feels uncomfortable and the Warriors leave the chamber quickly, but as they do they are attacked by the Cat-horn, another Bioscientist Construct from a cat-like alien with a barbed tail taken from an Ithorian Barbed Flyer.

The creature lunges at Jo'din. but with a flash of her lightsaber's blue blade the creature is cut down.

Jo'din "This whole place is a blasphemy to life."

In the following chamber the Warriors fine the Control Room of the Desolate. The scurrying of Charon can be heard coming from the darkness overhead. A huge Charon Warrior is at the far side near a huge domed window into space.

Then from the shadows steps a tall thin human in an Imperial uniform, Grand Moff Ravik.

Grand Moff Ravik "I do hope you will join me in an alliance with the Charon with bring about the annihilation of the Emperor and his new Order."

Lexon "I know who you are, Ravik Bloodaxe!" **

** GM note: this was a change we introduced into our campaign. Ravik Bloodaxe is grand father to Tetris Bloodaxe (player-character)

Grand Moff Ravik "I do hope any past loyalties to our primitive homeworld of Gar can be forgotten, Prince Lexgar."

Jo'din "Lexon is a Prince?"

Torm "It's not something he talks about."

Jo'din "Wait... does that make Terri a Princess?"

Torm "She didn't want me to say anything."

Jo'din "You knew?!"

Torm "Another time Jo'din. Big bad Charon and nasty Imperial man."

Ber'asco puts his clawed hand into the tendrils of the computer allowing his rasping voice to echo through the chamber;

Ber'asco "Join us. Join us in our crusade of death."

Lexon "Join this!"

Before anyone else can react Lexon lunges at Ber'asco. the armour Charon fights back using his vicious rending claws, but Lexon lands a flurry of blows, and not even the Charon Leader's armour can protect him. Ravik, infuriately disappears into the darkness.

Out of the view dome the Warriors can see their ship piloted by Deak Frisko.

Dr. Ugavine connects to the ships brain using the tendrils, and everyone feels the ship shift.

Dr. Ugavine "I've set a trajectory into the nearest star."

Torm (smiling) "Ready for a ride?" With that he blasts the dome! The Warriors are blown out into space where they are picked up by the Sixty-Nine piloted by the Duros Deak Frisko.

The Warriors flee as far as they can from the Desolate, but several Charon starfighters are giving pursuit.

Doctor Ugavine successfully make a Very Difficult Starship repair roll to fix the ships hyperdrive then heads back through the now very crowded ship, due to having the crew from the Nosferatu on board, to the cockpit to make the to calculate a route back to Realspace.

The Charon Starfighters are deadly, and would be deadly accurate if it were no for Torm's piloting evading the attackers. Doctor Ugavine make the Astrogation check and the Rebel starship disappears into Hyperspace!

End

* Terri Lexgar will return in Otherpace II

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